Witchayoot Huangsuranun

Witchayoot Huangsuranun is a lab scientist currently based in the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok, Thailand. He first joined the Department of Microbiology in 2020 as part of the South and Southeast Asian Community-based Trials Network (SEACTN), a Wellcome Trust Innovations Flagship project in which he helped develop and perform multiplex real-time PCR assays for the detection of bloodborne and airborne tropical pathogens.

His research interests include molecular diagnostics and epidemiology of tropical diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya fever, and scrub typhus among others. A particular interest is the adaptation of CRISPR-Cas diagnostics for the rapid detection of these pathogens. He also has an interest in using modern fabrication technology, such as 3D printing, to develop custom lab equipment that is cost-effective and can also be used in a point-of-care setting.

In 2025, he completed his DPhil with was focused on development of CRISPR-Cas assays to detect dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses from low volumes of whole blood specimens, as well as using real-time RT-PCR to detect these viruses in dried blood spot specimens.

Currently, he is aiming to expand his research and further develop a rapid multiplex CRISPR-Cas diagnostics to be implemented in rural settings.